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If you're doing up your home or garden, you're bound to need all manner of tools and supplies that you probably don't have. Buying these things commercially gets expensive fast, but the good news is that there's a cheaper way: by buying second-hand from contractors, visiting trade stores and being a little clever, you can save hundreds if not thousands on the overall cost of your reno! Industrial equipment and supplies are often of a higher quality to commercial ones, in addition to being cheaper. I'm starting up this blog project to explore all the various ways you can exploit that principle!

The savings that can accrue over time when you service and repair your hydraulic cylinders without involving an expert can be significant. However, those savings can only be realised when you avoid the common mistakes that can increase maintenance costs. This article discusses some of those mistakes that you should avoid.

Using the Wrong Lubricant

Nearly every hydraulic cylinder repair or maintenance task will require the use of lubricants on the seals and O-rings. You should be very careful when you are selecting a lubricant to use. This is because some lubricants may not be compatible with the fluids that you use in your system. You should refer to the manual of your equipment so that you know what lubricants, such as grease or petroleum jelly, should be used during the repair process.

Not Referring to System Drawings

You should never start the hydraulic cylinder repair process until you have familarised yourself with the system's drawings provided by the manufacturer of that equipment. This is because hydraulic cylinders have so many components that it may be hard for you to reassemble them correctly after the repair if you were not guided by the drawings during the disassembly process. You can even have the drawings close to you during each step of the repair so that you can note down which component goes where as you take the equipment apart.

Using Improvised Tools

Make sure that you have the correct tools necessary to complete the repair job. Improvised tools can damage the seals of the hydraulic cylinder. The surface finish of the other components, such as the cylinder shaft, can also be scratched when the wrong tools are used. You should therefore ensure that your toolbox has tools of the exact specifications required for the repair of that hydraulic equipment.

Using Wrong Seal Measurements

How do you determine the size of the replacement seals that you should buy when you are repairing your cylinder? Some people measure the old seals and use those measurements to select new seals. This may be a mistake because those seals may have shrunk or expanded as they were used. A better approach is to rely on the size of the seal grooves when you want to know the size of the seals that you should buy.

Only undertake hydraulic cylinder repairs if you have sufficient knowledge about how to go about the process. Otherwise, accidents may be caused by the mistakes that you unwittingly made as you serviced or repaired that cylinder. Ask experts for help in case you are doing the repair for the first time. You can then follow the steps executed by the expert during subsequent repairs.